Five things to check before a gas roaster arrives

The most common way a roaster purchase fails is not the wrong model. It is a site that cannot take the machine. The truck arrives, the gas connection does not, and the return freight, crane hire and cancellation fees land on the buyer.

Ask these five questions in order, and answer them before you sign.

1. Gas: whether you can get a connection matters more than which machine

Commercial gas is not a matter of paying a fee. In most cities only premises zoned as industrial or warehouse can apply for a commercial indoor gas supply. Residential buildings, offices and shopping centres are generally refused — not because the machine is unsuitable, but because the building is.

Three routes that work:

• Industrial unit or warehouse, commercial gas supply, inspected by the utility
• LPG cylinder bank, which needs a dedicated cylinder room, explosion-proof ventilation and fire registration
• An electric model instead — available in 6, 12 and 15 kg, 15.8–36 kW, requiring 380 V three-phase

The utility usually wants the machine nameplate, gas consumption figures and a pipework drawing. We send all three with the quotation.

2. Extraction: it cannot vent indoors

A drum roaster produces continuous smoke while roasting. The duct has to go outside.

The classic mistake is a basement or an enclosed room with a small fan blowing into a corridor. Two batches and the whole floor smells of roast; one complaint and you are shut down.

• Duct diameter scales with the machine: around 100 mm at 6 kg, 150–200 mm above 30 kg
• Fewer bends is better — every elbow costs you static pressure
• Terminate above neighbouring windows, not into them

3. Floor loading

Gross weight runs from 397 kg at 6 kg to 850 kg at 20 kg and about 1.7 tonnes at 30 kg, before green beans, roasted stock and people.

On an older building rated at 300 kg/m², putting a 30 kg machine on an upper floor needs a structural check first. Ground floor or a slab on grade: no issue.

4. Power

Gas models draw very little: 1.46 kW total at 6 kg, 2.92 kW at 12 and 15 kg — a 220 V single-phase supply usually covers it.

Electric models are a different proposition: 15.8 kW at 6 kg, 33 kW at 12 kg, 36 kW at 15 kg, all 380 V three-phase, and the site's total capacity has to cover it.

5. Fire and environmental compliance

• Fire: a dedicated operating area, extinguishers and a gas alarm as required locally
• Air quality: some cities treat roasting exhaust as catering fume and require a scrubber
• Licensing: food production certification depends on whether you pack and sell retail

Ask your local utility and market regulator for the specifics. "Everyone does it this way here" is not a compliance answer.

The checklist

1. Is the building zoned for a commercial gas supply?
2. Will the utility pass and connect it?
3. Can the extraction duct reach outdoors without complaints?
4. Is the floor loading adequate?
5. Is the electrical capacity and voltage correct?

Only when all five pass does model selection matter. See how to size the machine.